If, in tracing the outlines of this famous ftory, a judgment can be formed by an impartial inquirer at the distance of two centuries from the memorable event, the following imperfect ketch may ferve to direct his further investigations. It is unneceffary to dwell long on the perfon, manners, and habits of the imbecile heir prefumptive and fucceffor of the acplished Elizabeth. A contemporary author draws his portrait thus: "He was of a middle ftature, more corpulent throghe his "clothes than in his body, zet fatt enouch, his clothes ever being made large and eafie, ye doubletts quilted for stelletts "proofe, his breeches in grate pleits and full stuffed. He was "naturalie of a timorous difpofitione, wich was ye grateft rea"fone of his quilted doubletts. His eyes large, and ever roulling "after any ftranger cam in his prefence: in fo much as many, "for fhame, have left the roome as being out of countenance. "His beard was very thin; his toung too large for his mouthe, "vich ever made him drinke very uncomlie, as if eating his "drinke, wich cam out into ye cup in each fyde of his mouthe. "His fkin vas als foft as tafta farfnet, wich felt fo, because he never washt his hands, onlie rubb'd his fingers ends flightly vith "the vett end of a napkin. His legs wer verey weake, having "had (as was thoght) fome foul play in his youthe, or rather "befor he was borne †, yet he was not able to stand at seuen "zeires of age that weakness made him euir leaning one other The Earl of Gowrie and his brother were killed in prefence of the King on the 5th of Auguft 1600. † Alluding to the terror his mother, Mary Queen of Scots, experienced when David Rizzio was murdered in her prefence. The King mentions this in his Bafilicon Doron: "I that was perfecuted by the Puritans there, not from my birth only, but even fince four months before my birth." King James's Works, folio, p. 160. 305. "men's "men's fhoulders."-"He was werey witty, and had als maney "redey vitty jefts as aney man liuinge, at vich he wold not "fmyle himselffe, bot deliuer them in a grave and serious man"ner."-" He was werey crafty and cunning, in pettey thinges, " as the circumveninge any grate man, the change of a favourite, "&c. in fo much as a werey wife man was wount to fay, he "beleeued him ye wisest foole in Christendome, meaning him "wise in small things, bot a foole in weighty affaires-He was “infinitly inclined to peace, bot more out of feare than con"science ;"—"In a word, he was, take him altogether, and not "in pieces, fuche a King, I wishe this kingdome have neuer any worffe, one ye conditione not aney better: for he liued "in peace, dyed in and lefte all his kingdome in a peac❝able conditione, with hes awen motto "BEATI PACIFICI *." To this may be added, that James was a believer in astrology, magic, and witchcraft: on the latter fubject he wrote a book; and not unfrequently was prefent on the trial of witches 1. But when the accomplished Earl of Gowrie is brought on the same canvas with the King thus pourtrayed, the contrast is striking indeed. peace, John Ruthven Earl of Gowrie, the perfonage alluded to, fucceeded his father, who was beheaded at Stirling on the 4th of May 1584, in his eftates and dignities, and was soon after (A. D. 1589) elected Provost of Perth, an office long heredi Dalzell's "Fragments of Scotifh Hiftory," Appendix, No. xiv. p. 84. + See Arnot's Criminal Trials. The annals of Scotland were not disgraced with the profecutions against unfortunate and deftitute old women till the year 1479, when, it is said, the first capital punishment for witchcraft took place (See Pinkerton's Hift. of Scot. vol. i. p. 295.); and the laft on record (See Arnot's Criminal Trials) happened fo late as the year 1722. This is truly a humiliating confideration. The laws against witchcraft are still unrepealed! tary in the family of Gowrie: but, being a youth poffeffed of an ardent defire of knowledge, he told the council that he had determined to pursue his ftudies abroad, and obtained leave for that purpose. Accordingly, on the 6th of August 1594, he took his departure, and, travelling through France, arriveď at PADUA; where he fo much diftinguished himself that he was honoured by the University of that place with the Rector's chair, which, it is faid, he filled with fingular approbation. It was not to be wondered at, that fo enlightened a mind eagerly embraced the new spread doctrines of the Reformation. From Padua, he removed to the hot-bed of herefy, GENEVA, where the celebrated Theodore Beza received him with open arms. With Beza our young theologian remained, and was hofpitably entertained for three months. Leaving Geneva, he fet out for Paris, on his return to his native country. At Paris he was introduced to the English Ambaffador, from whom he obtained letters of recommendation to Queen Elizabeth, who, fenfible of his enlightened understanding and elegance of manners, honoured him with marks of high confideration. These circumstances, together with the zeal which the houfe of Ruthven openly manifefted, from the earliest dawn of the Reformation, in accelerating its. advancement and eventual fuccefs, rendered the young Earl an object of fufpicion in the eyes of the King and his ministry. Such then was the pofture of affairs on the return of Gowrie, after a seven years absence, on the 20th of May 1600. On the 5th of Auguft following, early in the morning, while the King was about to hunt the ftag in the forest of Faukland*, where Within a fhort diftance of Perth.. he: he chiefly refided, he was accofted by Alexander Ruthven *, the Earl of Gowrie's fecond brother, and earneftly requested by Alexander to accompany him to Perth without delay, on pretence, as it is said, of disclosing some interesting circumstances respecting hidden treasure. After the death of the stag, the King, attended by a few of his fuite, fet out for Perth, and arrived there, at an early hour, to dinner. Immediately after dinner, the King wishing to retire, Alexander Ruthven, who, it was alleged, at times, was not perfectly in his fenfes, went with him to a small apartment in the round tower occupied as a study, among the upper chambers of the house. According to the King's own account, there appeared to him a man in armour, that had been placed in the ftudy with an intention to affaffinate him t. The affrighted monarch, with the rapidity of thought, marshalled in his mind the danger to which he was thus exposed. The Raid of Ruthven, as it is called, was an event fo recent, and the fatal confequences of that affair fo fresh in his memory, that he justly apprehended his liberty, if not his life, to be in the power of the noble perfonage in whose house he found himself; and whose father had been brought to the block but fixteen years before, for an offence somewhat fimilar • Since this article refpecting the Gowrie confpiracy was written, a new theory has been proposed by John Pinkerton, Esq., in a Differtation on this fubject prefixed to the first volume of Laing's History of Scotland; wherein Mr. P. infinuates, that Anne of Denmark, James the fixth's Queen, was (in plain English) a wh-re, and Alexander Ruthven a favourite, as well as the fole author of a design to feize the King's perfon, and force him to abdicate the throne in favour of his fon Prince Henry, during whofe minority the Queen herself was to be Regent: Mr. Pinkerton afferts his "firm averfion to the Scandalous Chronicle," notwithstanding! + See the Account published by Authority, Sept. 1600. See alfo Moyes's Memoirs, inferted from p. 263. Ruddiman's edition, 1755. to to the prefent*. Seized with this but too natural idea, in the first paroxyfm of his agonizing fears, the King called aloud from the window of the ftudy, "Treafon, treafon! Fy! Help, help! they're murdering me;" which fo alarmed all who heard him, and ran to his affiftance, that, in the uproar and confufion, many wounds were given by each party, and the Earl of Gowrie and his brother Alexander were both flain in the presence of the King. The news of this fad disaster instantly spread through Perth: the tumult was prodigious; the citizens were clamorous, and it was with the utmost difficulty that the King, favoured by the darkness of the night, made his escape, amid the imprecations of an enraged multitude, who threatened vengeance for the lofs of the chief magiftrate of their city, and the untimely fall of his brother. James, defirous that no blame should attach on him in this unfortunate affair, infifted ftrenuoufly that an attempt had been made by the Earl and his brother on his life and it ferved as a fubject for public declamation and private conversation during the remainder of his reign, as a fingular inftance of the immediate interpofition of divine power, to reserve the "Lord's anointed" for fome glorious end; which event really was juftified on his afcending the imperial throne of Great Britain and Ireland, when he bore the high-founding title of DEFENDER OF THE FAITH†. In order * William Earl of Cowrie was beheaded at Stirling, on the 4th of May 1584, for having detained the King's perfon as he returned from Athol on the 23d of Auguft 1582. This outrage is called "The Raid of Ruthven." To feize the person of the King was no unusual expedient in the rude policy of the Scotifh nobility: befides the inftance juft mentioned, fimilar attempts had been made on James by Francis Stewart, Earl of Bothwell, at Falkland and Holyroodhouse. Bishop Williams, in his funeral fermon on the death of King James, p. 43, makes the following obfervation: "Not a particular of his life but what was a mystery of the, Divine X x |